March 27, 2012
Box Score
DeKALB, Ill. -
The Illinois State softball team shut out in-state rival Northern Illinois, 5-0, in a non-conference title Tuesday afternoon at Mary M. Bell Field in DeKalb, Ill. Senior pitcher Megan Warner scattered eight hits and struck out three to earn her first shutout of the season.
Junior Jhavon Hamilton led the Redbirds (19-13) at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a solo home run. Redshirt sophomore Sara Bradley finished 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI and senior Caiti Kopp ended the afternoon 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Hamilton put ISU in front in the first at bat of the game, as she cleared the fences in right center for her fourth home run of the season. The Redbirds then loaded the bases after a pair of walks by juniors Lauren Kellar and Elizabeth Kay, and a hit by pitch by sophomore Laura Canopy. Northern Illinois (12-14) starter Megan Dortch was able to strike out a pair of hitting to end the frame and limit the damage.
The Huskies also left the bases loaded in their half of the first, as Warner pitched around three hits and an error. Nicole Gremillion beat out a bunt to open the inning, but was erased on a double play. After back-to-back singles by Shelby Miller and Jennifer Barnett, NIU took advantage of a Redbird error to load the bases, but Warner induced a groundout and ended the threat.
Illinois State doubled their lead in the second on an RBI single by Kopp. ISU loaded the bases with no outs after coaxing two walks and reaching on an error prior to Kopp's single to left that scored Kay. NIU was able to prevent a big inning, as it turned a triple play behind reliever Jessica Sturm to keep the ISU lead at 2-0.
The Huskies stranded two more runners on the base paths in their half of the third, before the Redbirds tacked on another run in the top of the fourth to open up a 3-0 advantage. Bradley led off the inning with a solo blast to left and drove in her second run of the game in the fifth on a single that allowed Canopy to cross the plate. Kopp was able to scamper home on Bradley's hit, after an error by the Northern Illinois left fielder, making the score 5-0 in favor of Illinois State.
After pitching out of jams in the first three innings, Warner allowed just three hits the rest of the way to preserve the shutout and improve to 7-4 in the circle.
The two teams combined to strand 21 base runners, as ISU left 12 on the base paths and the Huskies stranded nine more.
The Redbirds will return to Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend, when they travel to Carbondale, Ill., for a three-game set with in-state rival Southern Illinois.
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